© Bath Refinishing Resource
Refinish or Replace?
Are you trying to decide whether you
should refinish the items in your
bathroom or replace them?
Having trouble deciding if it is better to
refinish or replace? Refinishing is often the
most cost and time efficient remodeling
option. But depending on your situation, it
may be better to replace.
Bathroom remodeling has what seems like
endless options and depending on your
budget can go from inexpensive to very
expensive quickly. The reason bathtub
refinishing is so popular is because a bathtub
is typically installed in a home before the
drywall is even installed, so removing and
replacing a bathtub is costly and can
sometimes cause more damage to the rest of
the home. Refinishing can be an excellent
option to freshen up the look for many items
in your bathroom without removing and
replacing them. For what items can be
refinished click here.
The oldest and most durable bathtubs are
made from porcelain coated cast iron, which
by their nature are very heavy and are difficult
to move. And due to their long lifespan, the
surface of these tubs can become worn,
scratched, rust-stained or chipped, while the
structure of the tub itself remains solid for
many more years of use. In most cases, a
bathtub is still in decent shape; it just isn’t that
bright, white look that the homeowner is
looking for. Refinishing this type of bathtub
can give it that “new” bright, white look you
need without the hassle or cost of replacing.
But what if my bathtub has a crack or
rust?
We can easily fix chips, scratches, surface rust
and small cracks. However, damage that is
more structural in nature; i.e. cracked due to
insufficient support during installation, or
major rust due to deep chips or holes in a
porcelain tub can pose some challenges to
refinishing. While it is possible to do repairs of
this nature, it is hard to gauge how long the
repairs might last. So for some situations,
replacing is the better option. Read more about
what to do for damaged items here.
Major structural damage?
While we can repair a vast range of damaged
items, sometimes the damage is due to a
serious structural flaw. We liken a repair like
this to putting a bandage on a broken arm. It
may look like it is helping, but in actuality you
are going to keep running into problems until it
is replaced.
“I love my sink just not the color!”
If you like the shape and size of the item, but
not the color or luster, then refinishing is the
better choice. But if you need to change the
texture of your surface (i.e. Heavily textured tile
or raised designs on a surface) or the size/shape
of the item no longer works for you, replacing is
likely the only option.
If the items you are thinking about having
refinished are in good structural condition, and
the shape and size still works for you,
refinishing is an excellent choice to give you an
updated, fresh look. However, if your item is
heavily damaged, is the wrong size or shape
and just isn’t functional for you anymore;
replacement may be your better option.